Fighting for the Past
by Indigo-the-Cat
Summary: This is a story mainly about the daughter of Knuckles. Please read the story to find out her name. Oh, chapter 8 is posted now, read it please!
1. Knuckles Disappears

This is what I have decided to write about concerning my new character, the daughter of Knuckles. In case you've forgotten, her mother is Tikal. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this first chapter, many more to come! (I hope...)  
  
Disclaimer: I saw that everyone else had one, so I will too! Anyway, I don't own the Sonic Team characters, however, I do own this particular fanfiction. So don't mess that up, ok?  
  
Let's begin my story, "Fighting for the Past" written by me, indigo_the_cat@hotmail.com ________________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter One: Knuckles Disappears  
  
It has been quite a long time since Knuckles and Tikal bore the child that would become the future Master Emerald guardian. But Knuckles being the way he was, neglected to tell this child, his daughter, that that was her purpose. He wanted her to live a normal life, like a normal kid. So about two years after she was born, he moved into a cozy apartment just outside of Station Square. But, he still had to guard the Master Emerald. Knowing that it would be difficult for his daughter to grow up living on Angel Island, he also took the Master Emerald with him when he moved. His daughter, Laki, is now 16, and she is becoming more and more curious about her early childhood. And she is even more curious about her father's past. But today, she will have to wait, for the only thing on her mind, is high school... ________________________________________________________________________  
  
~~Current Time: Sometime in August, 6 am~~ ~~Location: Station Square, Knuckles apartment~~  
  
"Are you all ready for your first day of high school, Laki?" Knuckles asked his daughter.  
  
"Yes, Dad, I am," Laki replied to her father.  
  
"Are you sure? I mean, if you don't feel ready, you can wait." He offers.  
  
"For how long then?" (Laki smirks)  
  
"Um, for a couple of years?" says Knuckles.  
  
"Oh, dad..." (Laki lets out a chuckle)  
  
"It's just that you are growing up so fast, Laki. You are becoming a beautiful young woman. What happened to my little girl who I used to play horsie with?" Knuckles sullenly asked.  
  
"Dad, those days are over now. I've gotta learn to be independent, and find out what I can do in this world, to be a better person," (Laki then notices her father's sad look)  
  
"Don't worry, I'll always be your daughter. And if you miss me today, just remember the good-old times when I used to wanna be called Wrist, kinda like you are called Knuckles," She consoles.  
  
"Well, all right. You just take care of yourself and be nice to your teachers. Here is your bus-pass, (hands Laki the pass), and here is your good-bye kiss," (kisses her forehead)  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Sayonara, Dad!" (Lakie waves and then walks out the door)  
  
"Good-bye, my daughter Wrist," Knuckles whispers into the air.  
  
After exiting the apartment, Laki walks down the hallway to the elevator. She takes it down to the first floor. When she gets there, she meets up with Amy Rose, who lives on the same floor has Knuckles and her.  
  
"Well, hey there girl!" Amy greets.  
  
"Hiya', Amy!" Laki greets back.  
  
"Where are you off to today?" Amy asks.  
  
"Well, I'd love to tell you more about it, but I can't because it is school. My first day of high school, actually," (Laki looks at her watch)  
  
"I wouldn't want to be the one to make you late for school. And who knows what Knuckles would do to me? (she pauses for a moment) Laki, how do you do it?" (Amy gawks at Laki's hair)  
  
"Do what?" Laki asks Amy.  
  
"Your hair! It's so perfect. Not too wavy, but not too straight. And you always have your red highlights done without any fault!" Amy praises.  
  
"What are you talking about Amy? My hair has ALWAYS been like this. And my red highlights are natural, didn't you know? I was BORN with them, because of my dad, Knuckles. He has naturally red hair," Laki explains.  
  
"Wow, ok. Well, you'd better be off then, Laki! See ya' later, girl!" (Amy waves to Laki)  
  
"Bye!" (Laki waves to Amy and then heads out the entrance)  
  
As soon as Laki is outside, she looks down the street to the bus- stop. And sure enough, her bus is already there. She makes an Olympic dash towards the bus, so it does not leave without her. When she is inside the bus, she shows the driver her bus pass and takes a seat next to her friend, Roxy, who is also going to high school for the first time. They don't talk much, for they are both quite nervous about their first day. When they arrive at the school, they go into the main office and get their class schedules. Shortly after, the first bell rings and the two girls are off to their first class.  
  
~~Time Elapse: About 5 hours~~  
  
It is lunch time now, and Laki is exhausted from all of the ruckus going on the first day. She heads for the cafeteria and meets up with Roxy, who is also quite exhausted. After they sit down with their trays, they start a conversation.  
  
"So, how was your last class?" Roxy asks Laki.  
  
"It was way over-bearing, I had English Literature," (Laki moans)  
  
"I'd think that you'd love literature, since your dad is all artistic and stuff," Roxy comments.  
  
"He is the artistic one of the family, I'm more mathematical. I do well in science and trigonometry," Laki explains.  
  
"You are taking trigonometry? I thought that you could only take that if you were..." (Roxy is interrupted)  
  
"Yeah, but they saw my excellent scores in junior high last year, so they did a what-cha-ma-cal-it 'advanced placement' thingy," Laki corrected.  
  
"Wow. It must be tough," (says Roxy as she frantically tries to open her thermos)  
  
"Not really, oh is that stuck? Lemme help you," (Laki takes the thermos from Roxy and opens it without any trouble at all)  
  
"Oh my god, how did you get so strong?" Roxy asks Laki.  
  
"I dunno, my dad is pretty strong, maybe I get some of it from him," She offers.  
  
"You know, your dad is pretty cool. I LOVE his dreadlocks," (Roxy sighs lustfully)  
  
"Well, maybe..." Laki replies.  
  
The two girls continue to talk about whatever crosses their minds while they hurriedly try to finish their food before the bell rings again. When it does, they dump their trays, and head off to their next class.  
  
~~Time Elapse: About 4 hours~~  
  
Laki and Roxy are now on the bus, heading back to Station Square. They both had a pretty great, but tiresome first day of high school. The whole time on the bus, the two girls were chattering away about everything that happened. When the bus stops at the corner where Laki must get off, she bids a cheerful good-bye to Roxy. Then, she shrugs, and shouts good- bye to everyone else on the bus. With a perky face, she gets off of the bus and walks excitedly (or skipped) back to the apartment building. She is overjoyed and wants to tell her dad, Knuckles, all about what happened. She goes inside the building, to find Amy wearily pacing around the entrance.  
  
"Hiya', Amy, what's up!?!" Lakie greets in an over ecstatic voice.  
  
"Oh, Laki, I'm worried..." Amy sobs.  
  
"Worried about what? (She thinks for a minute) Oh, you were worried about my first day? It was great, I have a lot to tell you, but first, I have to talk to my dad," Laki replies.  
  
"Laki... (Amy looks up at Laki) It's isn't about your first day," Amy says.  
  
"Then, what is it about?" Laki asks, becoming a little nervous.  
  
"Well, I'll tell you plain and simple. I went shopping today, like I always do, and I found the most gorgeous necklace ever! But, it wasn't in fashion for me. However, I quickly realized that it would look fabulous on Knuckles. So I bought it, and quickly rushed back to his apartment and went inside, for I didn't want to wait to give it to him. But when I got inside, I wondered for a minute. I thought, 'Why was his door unlocked?' So I went around your apartment, looking for him. And... hey, where are you going Laki!?" (Amy was dumbfounded)  
  
Laki had already figured out what happened. Knuckles was on vacation leave at his job, and wasn't going back to work for another week, and she knew that Knuckles always locked the door, for privacy reasons, and safety. Laki also knew that if Amy had to look for Knuckles, he obviously wasn't there. Laki dashed up the stairs to her apartment, for she had no time to wait for the elevator. She threw open the door and looked frantically around the apartment for her father. But, she could not find him. It wasn't like Knuckles to just leave like that. Especially since Knuckles preferred a night-life compared to a day-life. Laki then checked the front desk to see if Knuckles had left word with the clerk to where he was. He hadn't. She glumly went back to her apartment and laid on her bed to wait for him to come home. Eventually she become tired and went to sleep. She thought to herself:  
  
"He'll be back by morning," (then she closed her eyes and went to sleep) ________________________________________________________________________  
  
So, how did you like the opening chapter? If you've got an opinion, or you liked it, post a review! Oh yeah, if possible, make it a signed review, ok? And no flames please. I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as I can! 


	2. This Jewel Seems Familiar

Well, this is the second chapter of my new fanfic, Fighting for the Past. I got into writing it, so it got pretty long. If you haven't read the last chapter, please do so! And I also recommend reading the bio I posted, The Daughter of the Master Emerald Guardians. It'll inform you more about Knuckles's daughter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next part! ^_^ ____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Chapter 2: This Jewel Seems Familiar  
  
We go back into the apartment where Knuckles and his daughter, live. As you may have recalled from the previous chapter, Knuckles mysteriously disappeared from his apartment. His daughter, (her name is Laki), came from her first day of high school to find her father gone. She went to bed believing that she would wake up and he'd be home. But he wasn't. Today, more of the past will come into the present when Laki discovers something that her father was keeping from her...  
  
~~Current Time: Sometime in August, 2:30 am~~ ~~Location: Knuckles's Apartment~~  
  
"I wish I could go back to sleep, but I can't knowing that my Dad still isn't home yet," Laki says to herself.  
  
"Maybe since I can't sleep, I'll go get something to eat," (Laki then gets out of bed and goes to her closet to find something to wear.)  
  
"Hmm, what should I wear today? Yesterday I wore a pretty blah outfit, today I'm gonna change that," Laki decides.  
  
Laki goes deep into her closet, all the way to the back. She finds an old outfit that she hadn't worn for years. It was a leather skirt that was a very dark shade of purple. And with it, was a small sleeveless top that would expose her mid-drift. Not to mention that it was laced up the back. (It also showed plenty of cleavage) She quickly took the outfit from its hanger and put it on. She did not have a mirror in her room, so she went into Knuckles's room to see herself in his mirror.  
  
"Something is missing..." Laki thought.  
  
"I know!" (excitedly, Laki opened her dad's accessories box.)  
  
Inside, she found several different punky necklaces, collars, rings, and even a few pairs of earrings. She picked out a particular spike bracelet that she had bought for her dad a couple years ago and put it on her right wrist. She then went back to the mirror again to look herself over. Satisfied, she closed the box and went back to her closet.  
  
"Ah ha! There are those shoes..." Laki said, looking at some black- leather, steel-toe boots.  
  
She immediately put them on. Then, she got some money, and headed out of the apartment. While walking down the hallway, she noticed Amy pacing around the elevator. She rushed over to see what Amy was worried about this time.  
  
"Amy, why are you up at this hour?" Laki asked.  
  
"What? I should be asking YOU that, Laki," Amy scolded.  
  
"First, you tell me, you were up first," Laki protested.  
  
"All right, all right, girl. I was worried about Knuckles. I have been waiting to give Knuckles this necklace for the whole night. You remember? The one I bought him yesterday," (Amy holds out the necklace.)  
  
"Yeah, I remember it," Laki replies.  
  
"Well, has he come home yet?" Amy asked in an anxious voice.  
  
"No he hasn't been back all evening. I woke up at about 1 this morning. I couldn't sleep," (Laki yawns)  
  
"(Amy sighs) I guess then that I'll have to give it to you then, Laki. I have to go to work at 7, if I don't get any sleep, I'll be a wreck," (She hands the necklace to Laki.)  
  
"I'll be sure to give it to him as soon as he comes home," Laki reassures Amy.  
  
"Say, why don't you try it on, Laki? I bet you'd look great in it, too!" Amy tells Laki.  
  
"Uh, ok," (Laki puts on the necklace.)  
  
"OH, MY, GOD!!! It looks fabulous on you!" (Amy's mouth opens wide.)  
  
"It kinda does," Laki responds.  
  
"If you are going out, you should wear it!" Amy encourages.  
  
"Ok, I will Amy," Laki replies.  
  
"Well, I'm off to bed, see ya' later, girl!" (Amy waves and heads off to her apartment.)  
  
"Bye Amy!" (Laki waves back and heads to the elevator.)  
  
As soon as Laki gets to the first floor, she immediately begins to think about Knuckles again. Where could he be? Laki continues to wonder about her father even after she walks out the entrance. She walks down the sidewalk, looking for a place where she can get some late night/early morning food. The only place she could find was the China Corner, where her friend Roxy works. She went inside.  
  
"Roxy, why are you working this late?" Laki asks Roxy, who was bussing a table.  
"Oi, Laki. You won't believe it! My co-worker got sick yesterday during school, so I had to fill in for her tonight! Ugh... ....What is up with that outfit?" Roxy asks Laki after noticing her clothes.  
  
"Oh, I couldn't sleep. So I got out some of my old clothes and wanted to get something to eat. Is anyone in the back cooking?" (Laki looks towards the back of the restaurant.)  
  
"Jimmy is. Whaddaya want?" Roxy asks Laki.  
  
"Oh, I'll just have some Noodle Soup," Laki said.  
  
"Okey-dokey. JIMMY, I NEED A NOODLE SOUP," Roxy shouts to Jimmy.  
  
"OK!" Jimmy shouts back.  
  
Roxy and Laki sit down and start to talk. Laki explains about her father's strange disappearance and that he hasn't been home all night. When Jimmy brings her the soup, he sits down with the two and wants to hear about it as well. When Laki explains it to him, he tells her that he saw a big fleet of airships flying over the Emerald Coast just outside of Station Square. He says that he didn't know where they were going, but they seemed to all be heading in the same direction. Laki thinks about this for a minute, and remembers her father telling her of such an air fleet that he and his friends had to destroy a long time ago. She disregards this thought. After she finishes eating, she pays Roxy and heads out the door.  
  
~~Time Elapse: About 2 hours~~  
  
Laki is now waiting at the bus-stop for her bus to arrive. She has her bus-pass in hand. She soon sees Amy walking by. Laki calls her over, and Amy rushes to her.  
  
"What's up, girl?" Greets Amy.  
  
"Not much, just waiting for my bus. They are running behind schedule today," Laki comments.  
  
"Oh, you're waiting for the bus? Haha, you won't believe this," Amy giggles.  
  
"What, what won't I believe?" Laki asks.  
  
"I remember a long time ago, when Eggman was trying to take over Station Square. The workers at the train station went on strike. They wanted better working conditions. And they forced us to wait to use the train again! But now, can you guess who is on strike?" (Amy arches her eyebrow at Laki.)  
  
"Lemme guess, the bus workers?" Laki guesses.  
  
"Right on, girl! You really catch on quickly," Amy responds.  
  
"I guess that means that I will be walking to school then," (Laki sighs.)  
  
"Probably not, I just read the newspaper a little bit ago, and they've canceled school until the bus transit system is up and running again," Amy answered.  
  
"Oh really? Wow. Only one day of school, and we already have it canceled. It's almost disturbing. Like, it was SUPPOSED to happen on purpose," Laki says as she quivers.  
  
"Well, since you don't have school, how'd ya' like to go shopping?" Amy offers.  
  
"Sure, why not?" Laki responds.  
  
"Great! I've got my trusty Visa equipped already, we are gonna have a lot fun! (Amy suddenly notices Laki's clothes) Hey by the way, where did you get that outfit?" Amy asks.  
  
"Oh, um, it was such a long time ago... I can't remember," Laki answers.  
  
"Well, we've gotta get you some new clothes, girl! This skirt is just not workin' for you," Amy remarks.  
  
Amy then grabs Laki's hand and runs to the nearest clothing outlet. She looks through countless racks, shelves, and departments and picks up different articles almost randomly. Laki would have protested, but she had seen Amy shop before, and she knew that Amy knew what she was doing.  
  
~~Time Elapse: About 7 hours~~  
  
It is now about 2 pm. Amy is now taking Laki to the dressing rooms... with about four shopping carts full of clothes. Amy then looks through all of the clothes she picked out, and holds them up to Laki. She throws out about half of them after doing this. Then, she starts to look for the colors that best accent Laki and what types of clothing look best on her. After she is through with that, she is left with about seven different outfits. Amy makes Laki try on all of them. Laki is really frustrated at this point. But when she comes out with the last outfit on, this is Amy's reaction:  
  
"OH MY GOD!!! I THINK THAT I AM LOOKING AT THE DAUGHTER OF VENUS RIGHT NOW!" (Amy drops her purse.)  
  
"Amy, shhh! You're making a scene," Laki says as she blushes.  
  
"Oops, sorry. I got carried away. Hee hee. But that outfit is SOOOO you! You have to see yourself in this mirror," (Amy then turns Laki to a mirror.)  
  
"I don't look THAT good Amy. I mean, these clothes are just normal clo... (Laki sees herself in the mirror) WHOA! I didn't know that people can actually look like this!" (She continues to look at herself, satisfied.)  
  
"What'd I tell ya'? All it takes is a good day of clothes shopping to get the perfect look," Amy says.  
  
"Well, I'd better get home. If my dad came back yet, he' be worried sick if I wasn't there," Laki says.  
  
"Ok, I'm gonna keep shopping. Here is some money for your outfit, wear it out so EVERYONE can see the new you!" Amy encourages.  
  
"(laughs) Alright, I will. Bye Amy!" Laki bids.  
  
"See ya' later, sista!" Amy jokes.  
  
Laki sends Amy a funny look, and then heads to the front of the store. She pays the clerk, and heads out. She strolls down the sidewalk, humming to herself. Today couldn't have gotten any better. Suddenly, her stomach begins to growl. She realizes that while she was shopping, she completely forgot about lunch. So she heads over to the China Corner for a late-lunch.  
  
~~Time Elapse: About 4 hours~~  
  
Laki is now back in her apartment. She had eaten way too much lunch, so she wasn't going to have any supper. She decides that since she has no homework and won't be going to school, that she do something useful while she at home. Even though her father, Knuckles, is not home, she is almost content, for she has had a pretty good day. She figures that her dad would be mad that she went and spent some one else's money on new clothes, so she was going to go organize his closet. (It was such a mess, and Knuckles always had a hard time finding anything in it.) She went into his room, but stopped by his mirror, just to look at her new look again. She loved the flared jeans that she was wearing along with her purple, heeled sandals. And she adored her red top with two purple stripes. She didn't normally wear tube-tops, but she really loved this one. After gawking at herself, she went over to Knuckles closet.  
  
"Ok, let's start by separating all of these clothes," Laki said to herself.  
  
"I'll put the shirts over here, and the pants over there, and then I'll make spots for them in the closet," She replied to herself.  
  
When that was done, she couldn't believe how much more room there was. She immediately hung up all of the clothes in order of color. Then, she picked up all of the extra stuff on the floor of the closet and sorted them into boxes. She however, was short one box, and had to go look for another. She had no sooner left the closet when she noticed a gigantic box sitting all the way in the back of the closet. (Laki knew that Knuckles's closet was big and deep, but not that big and deep!) Immediately, she went over to it. It wasn't hard for her to move, for she was really strong, but she couldn't help but wonder what was in the oversized box. She knew that it was none of her business and was about to put it back, until she heard a noise. It sounded like crystal droplets of water. She had a glass of water sitting on Knuckles's dresser, and that was where it was coming from. She would have thought herself insane, but the sound was telling something. It was telling her to "Open the box." She was overcome with a compelling feeling and opened it. When she opened it, a blinding green light filled the room.  
  
"What is that!?" Laki shouted.  
  
Suddenly, the light ceased, and Laki could not believe her eyes. Floating in front of her, was a humongous green gem, it was breath-taking. It seemed to glow passionately as Laki looked at it.  
  
"This jewel, it is so lovely," Laki said outloud.  
  
"But, it seems like I have known it all my life, like, I've seen it before," (Laki begins to think deeply.)  
  
"It is odd, thinking of jewel as if it were a person. But, still..." Laki pauses.  
  
{Laki...} A voice whispered.  
  
"Who, who said that?" Laki stuttered.  
  
{Laki, I know that you can hear me...} the voice whispered.  
  
"Show yourself!" Laki demanded.  
  
{When it is time, but not now...} the voice responded.  
  
"(Laki suddenly feels like this voice is a voice that she had heard before.) Do I, know you?" She asks.  
  
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Wow, this chapter got really long. Sorry about that! Anyway, how'd ya' like chapter 2? If you enjoyed it, or have an opinion, please review! And please, no flames. If you dislike clothes and shopping, sorry that chapter centered around it! I promise that the next one won't! Anyway, I wrote this over Valentine's Weekend, so I may not get chapter 3 posted very soon, but I will try! And again, please review! 


	3. Some Old Friends

Ok, ok. I got around to writing chapter 3, too. It should prove to be exciting for you! (I hope...) Anyhow, don't fret if you thought that the other chapters were kind of boring. This one should be more exciting. Please read, relax, enjoy, and REVIEW! Thanks.  
  
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Chapter 3: Some Old Friends  
  
In the last chapter, Laki found out that school was canceled, and spent a day in the world of shopping with Amy. Amy disliked her leather skirt, and made Laki change her look. She really didn't care too, and spending 8 hours with Amy is about all that one can stand, but in the end, Laki really adored her new look. When she was home, she decided to clean out her dad's, Knuckles's, closet. When she did, she found the most magnificent treasure in the world. Today, she is going to find out more about what it is, and where it came from...  
  
~~Current time: August, 12 am~~ ~~Location: Knuckles's Apartment, Knuckles's Room~~  
  
"Please, tell me, who are you?" Laki asks the voice that she keeps hearing.  
  
{I have told you countless times... Now is not the time for you to know...} The voice responds.  
  
"Well then, if you won't tell me who you are, tell me where your voice is coming from, PLEASE?" Laki demands.  
  
{I cannot tell you that exactly, either...} The voice answers.  
  
"Then I MUST be going insane. I've gone two days with hardly any sleep, with my dad being gone. I really should just go to bed and rest," Laki tells herself.  
  
{You must rest, for you are required to do many great things, I will tell you more about why you are hearing me later...} the voice says.  
  
Laki then shakes her head and hits it against a wall. She quickly grabs the heavenly, floating green jewel and seals it back into the box. She takes about 5 aspirin and then falls asleep on the couch in the living room. She dreams of things that she had always dreamed of, but a reoccurring dream came into her mind. It was a dream of vague events in her childhood; she can barely make them out.  
  
~~Time Elapse: About 10 hours~~  
  
It is only slightly before noon when Laki wakes up. She then slumps over to her kitchen and grabs a box of Cheerios. With the Cheerios in hand, she plops down on the couch and turns on the TV. She grabs a handful of cereal and stuffs it in her mouth periodically. About an hour passes. Then there is a knock on the door. She sits up slowly, and has to force herself to stand up. She is about to walk to the door when it opens on its own.  
  
"Hey, girl! Boy, you look like you just woke up," Amy comments.  
  
"Ugh... I'm drowsy, come back in a couple of hours..." Laki manages to say while chewing her cereal.  
  
"Eww, girl, finish eating before you talk!" Amy scolds.  
  
"(Amy notices the depressed look Laki's face.) You've been up all night, haven't you?" Amy says.  
  
"Don't even talk to me about last night, I really had a terrible time..." Laki says, still chewing Cheerios.  
  
"(Amy squints her eyes in disgust, then looks at her again.) What happened that was that was so terrible?" Amy asks confused.  
  
"(Laki finally swallows her cereal) Well, I was cleaning out my dad's closet, and I found this big green gem. But I have had such a lack of sleep lately that I literally thought that it was floating. And to top it off, I kept hearing voices in my head. So took a bunch of aspirin and went to bed (yawn)," Laki explained, grabbing another handful of cereal.  
  
"(Amy grabs the Cheerios box.) You have been eating too much of this stuff. Anyway, I'd like to see that gem sometime... but not now. Cause you'll never guess who's in Station Square today!" Amy says.  
  
"(Laki's eyes open up a little more) Who is it?" Laki asks.  
  
"First, you need to brush your hair, then I'll show you!" (Amy grabs a hairbrush out of her purse.) "Here,"  
  
Laki brushes her hair slowly, and then is taken by Amy out of the apartment. Amy then takes the elevator down to the first floor and directs Laki into the lobby. And in the lobby, several familiar people are chatting. One of which, is a white bat.  
  
"My my, is this the young daughter of Knuckles that I have heard so much about?" The bat asks.  
  
"Yes, she is! (Amy pushes Laki out in front of her.) Rouge, I'd like you to met Laki," Amy says.  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet you. Did you say your name was Laki? It is very pretty," Rouge compliments.  
  
"Well, yes, AMY said that that was my name, which it is. Are you an old friend of Knuckles or something?" Laki questions.  
  
"Oh, let's just say that we started as enemies, but went into a funny sort of friendship," (Rouge laughs)  
  
"Enemies? Over what?" Laki asks.  
  
"It isn't anything very important. But if you must know, Knuckles had this beautiful jewel known as the Master Emerald, which is something that I desired then, but I eventually got over it," Rouge explains.  
  
"Oh, I see..." Laki responds.  
  
Laki completely ignored the fact that Rouge wanted a very special jewel of Knuckles's. She immediately acquainted herself with the person sitting next to Rouge on the sofa, a VERY familiar blue hedgehog.  
  
"SONIC!!! I can't believe that you came to see me!" (Amy jumps gleefully.)  
  
"NO, I didn't come to see you, I heard that Rouge was coming, and I hadn't seen her for almost a year. Can't I see my OTHER friends without being disturbed by you?" Sonic criticizes.  
  
"Oh, Sonic, I know that you don't mean that..." Amy corrects.  
  
"Try me," Sonic dares.  
  
"Cut it out, you two. Honestly, how long have you and Amy been friends?" Laki asks.  
  
"So you are Laki! (Sonic looks at Laki.) I've heard Knuckles speak of you before. He never mentioned to tell me about the raw beauty that you possess," (Sonic whistles at Laki, then he gives her a really cheeky smile.)  
  
"Uh, yeah, that'd be me, Knuckles's daughter," Laki says, feeling a bit violated.  
  
"Knuckles's BEAUTIFUL daughter," Sonic corrects as he winks at Laki.  
  
"Um, I don't think that you should be flirting with her," Rouge whispers to Sonic.  
  
Laki then introduces herself to the rest of the gang. Tails is next. Then Cream and Cheese. Just when she thinks that she has talked to everyone, she gets another surprise. The revolving door in the entrance starts to turn, and a black creature emerges from it.  
  
"Hey Shadow! Glad you could make it!" Amy says to Shadow.  
  
"I wasn't expecting to see you here, too! Whatcha been up to?" Rouge asks Shadow.  
  
"SHADS! HOW ARE YA'!?" (Sonic shouts, he then dashes over to Shadow and gives him a big hug.)  
  
"Well, this was certainly unexpected!" Laki comments.  
  
"Um, it's nice to see you too, Sonic," Shadow says as he tries to break free from Sonic's hug.  
  
"Amy, it's nice to have the whole gang together again! Except that Big couldn't come, but it is ok," Cream comments.  
  
"I concur," Tails adds.  
  
"I'll talk to everyone once I get the chance, but first, who is the young lady that I'm supposed to meet?" Shadow looks around, and his eyes come to rest upon Laki.  
  
"I'm guessing that it was me," Laki offers.  
  
"I'm guessing that it was you, too. Your father, Knuckles, must be proud," Shadow compliments.  
  
"Why so?" Laki asks.  
  
"You have his eyes," Shadow replies.  
  
"Aww, don't embarrass me," (Laki blushes.)  
  
The gang then starts to chat amongst themselves. Sonic and Shadow both talk to Laki. Shadow, really enjoys her personality, while Sonic enjoys her. Laki begins to feel uncomfortable around Sonic, and says that she has to leave. Shadow immediately caught on, and summoned Amy over to distract him. The group then realizes that it is about lunch time, and tries to think of a place where they could eat. Laki has the perfect place in mind. Can you guess where?  
  
~~Time Elapse: About 5 hours~~  
  
After the gang is finished eating a great meal at the China Corner, they head back to the apartment building. However, Laki stays behind, to talk with her friends Roxy and Jimmy who both are working.  
  
"Who were all those guys?" Roxy asks.  
  
"Oh, they're all friends of my dad. You know who Amy is, don't you?" Laki asks.  
  
"Yeah, she comes in every now and then," Jimmy says.  
  
"Well, apparently, she set up a big sort of reunion with everyone so they could come and meet me, my dad's daughter," Laki says.  
  
"Hey by the way, is your dad back yet?" Roxy questions.  
  
"Yeah, DID he ever come home?" Jimmy adds.  
  
A chill suddenly runs through Laki's spine. In the midst of everything that has been happening lately, she had forgotten about her dad. Feeling a little guilty, Laki bids her friends good-bye and says that she should go back to her apartment and wait for her dad. She slowly walks down the sidewalk, with her hands in her pockets. She sees her reflection in a window, and stops to look. But even now, she cannot overcome her sadness. Laki sways away from the mirror and takes a longer route to get back to her apartment.  
  
~Time Elapse: 2 hours~  
  
Laki is now just entering the apartment building. She still feels quite sad. She didn't even notice that Shadow was sitting on the couch. Laki paced past the couch and was just about to go in the elevator when...  
  
"Hey, where are you going?" Shadow asks Laki, putting his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"(Laki slowly turns around and forces herself to look at Shadow.) Nowhere really, just back to my apartment..." Laki replies.  
  
"Everyone has been looking for you. You need to stay down here with me until they come back... (He thinks) Why were you going back to your apartment?" Shadow asks, noticing Laki's sad mood.  
  
"To wait, for my dad. He hasn't been around for nearly 2 and a half days. And he is on vacation leave at work, so he wouldn't have anywhere else to be," Laki answers.  
  
"You poor girl, how'd you like to talk to me about it?" Shadow offers.  
  
"That... would actually be nice," Laki says.  
  
Shadow then takes her hand and sits back down on the lobby couch with her. Laki tells him everything that has been happening, and how her dad just disappeared. She even tells him about her strange insanity from last night. Shadow tells her not to let it worry her, unless it happens again. Laki becomes so comfortable with Shadow that she asks him how long he is staying. Shadow says that he is thinking about moving into the apartment building, but is not entirely sure. Laki offers him a place to stay in her apartment, but Shadow declines. He says that everyone is staying at a hotel, while Rouge is staying with Amy, for she will be leaving tomorrow morning for the capitol. Laki insists that Shadow stay with her. Shadow, noticing her grief, finally accepts.  
  
~~Time Elapse: 5 hours~~  
  
Laki is now back in her apartment, along with Shadow, Rouge and Amy. They are watching some of Amy's old home movies. They are having a pretty good time, until Amy brings up a subject that Laki had brought up in the morning.  
  
"Hey, what was that thing that you were trying to tell me about this morning?" Amy asked Laki.  
  
"What thing?" Laki asks  
  
"It was... something about a green gem or something that you found. You said that you found it while cleaning out Knuckles's closet," Amy answers.  
  
"Green gem? If I didn't know any better, I'd call that..." Rouge cuts ff in mid-sentence, biting her nails.  
  
"Call it what?" Shadow asks.  
  
"TREASURE!!!" Rouge exclaims.  
  
"Oh, you mean that jewel? I guess that we can go look at it, but I probably shouldn't be messing with it cause it was in my dad's closet," Laki says.  
  
But Laki is already overpowered, for Rouge is pulling her off of the couch and pushing her towards Knuckles's room. Laki is reluctant to go inside his closet. But both Rouge and Amy now, implore her to go and get it. Laki goes into the closet and comes back out with the same giant box. Shadow, Rouge, and Amy are all shocked at how easily she carried such a huge package. Rouge immediately grabbed for the box, but Shadow put his hand in front of hers, to allow Laki the privilege of opening it.  
  
"OPEN IT! OPEEEEEN IT!!!" Rouge screams.  
  
"Call down, Rouge..." Shadow says.  
  
"This is gonna be so sweet!" Amy says gleefully.  
  
"Ok, here we go!" Laki says, as she gently lifts the lid on the box.  
  
Just as Laki began to open the lid, the clock chimed 12 o' clock. Laki knew that she had to get out of the habit of late nights, but she had something more important to worry about now, and soon, more responsibility than she could have ever imagined.  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ __ OOPS! I did it again, hahaha. A really long chapter. But anyway, I hoped you liked it! Please review, but do not flame! 


	4. The Past is Revealed

I was told that I needed to finish this story, and that person knows who they are, and they are more than right. So I have finally gotten to writing the 4th chapter, now that I have some time. Anyway, thank you for reading and review to those who have! If you have yet to review, please do so! I'd really appreciate it. Please enjoy! _______________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 4: The Past is Revealed  
  
If you read the previous chapter, you should recall that Laki was about to open up the giant box containing the green gem that she found in her dad's closet. But this time, Shadow, Rouge, and Amy were all watching. What conversation might occur when the group lays its eyes upon it?  
  
~~Current Time: August the next day, 12 am~~ ~~Location: Knuckles's Bedroom, Knuckles's Apartment~~  
  
"Hurry up and open it!!! I can't stand the suspense!" Rouge screamed.  
  
"I'm opening it slowly, so that it doesn't fall out, you know that it is huge," Laki commented.  
  
"Girl, just open it!" Amy scolded.  
  
"Fine, fine..." Laki said, as she flung the cover open.  
  
"I feel some sort of intense energy coming from inside," Shadow said, perplexed.  
  
As soon as the box was opened, a giant beam of green light cascaded out from it. Amy, Shadow, and Laki had to cover their eyes, but Rouge just stood there, staring at it wide-eyed. After a few moments, the light faded, and revealed a heavenly floating green gem with a magnificent size.  
  
"Can this be?" Rouge pondered.  
  
"I think that I have seen this before. (Shadow thinks intently.)"  
  
"Me too!" Amy adds.  
  
"What? It is just a big gem, it isn't really spectacular, except that it is big, (she looks at it again) What? It is floating, again!?!" Laki shrieks.  
  
"I know what this is!" Rouge shouts.  
  
"I am going to go get some aspirin and go to bed, I am seeing things again..." Laki says as she walks out the door.  
  
"Laki, it IS floating. You have no need to worry," Shadow tries to reassure Laki.  
  
"This is..." Rouge pauses.  
  
"What is it?" Amy asks.  
  
"It could only be..." Rouge pauses again.  
  
"Just tell me!" Laki screams.  
  
"The one and only, (Rouge is about to say it.)"  
  
"Rouge, let us know, now!" Shadow yells.  
  
"THE MASTER EMERALD!" Rouge exclaims with more glee than she should have.  
  
"What?" Laki asks in an 'I'm not very interested' kind of voice.  
  
"Oh yeah, the Master Emerald! What Knuckles is the guardian of, duh" Amy says.  
  
"But, shouldn't it be at its shrine at Angel Island, instead of hid away in a box?" Shadow wonders.  
  
"What are you guys talking about? Master Emerald? Guardian, shrine, Angel Island? You aren't making any sense," Laki says in a confused voice.  
  
"You mean that, Knuckles's never told you?" Rouge asks Laki.  
  
"Tell me what?" Laki responds.  
  
"That he was... (Amy pauses) That he IS the guardian of the Master Emerald?" Amy adds.  
  
"I never knew what a Master Emerald was, or that my dad was the guardian of it," Laki replies.  
  
"Not was, Laki... is. Your dad IS the guardian. This IS the Master Emerald," Shadow corrects.  
  
"Wait, so you're telling me, that my dad is the guardian of this over- sized gem that you call the Master Emerald?" Laki states.  
  
"YES" Rouge, Shadow, and Amy exclaim.  
  
"And that it is supposed to be at a shrine or something?" Laki asks.  
  
"Once again Laki, it is not something of the past, and it is something unique," Shadow corrects again.  
  
"The Shrine of the Master Emerald, on Angel Island, where Knuckles's used to live, until..." Rouge stops to think.  
  
"Until what?" Laki asks.  
  
"Until you were born! That's why Knuckles moved into Station Square!" Rouge shouts.  
  
"Yeah, that explains it! He wanted you to live a normal life, not one where you had to eternally watch over the Master Emerald," Amy adds.  
  
"But then, why was I born?" Laki asks, "I mean, why would he have had children if he was supposed to be watching over this gem?"  
  
"I cannot answer that, but, I bet we know how to answer it," Shadow says.  
  
"How?" Laki wonders.  
  
"We are going to leave this room, and then I want you to mold your mind with the Master Emerald. It is said that, it speaks with whomever it knows it needs to," Shadow said.  
  
"Ah, uh, ok Shadow, I will try to communicate with it," Laki says.  
  
"Well, you heard Shadow, Rouge, let's go!" Amy says as she grabs Rouge's hand.  
  
"But the treasure! The Master Emerald!" Rouge cries as she squirms to get away.  
  
Needless to say, Shadow and Amy had to drag Rouge out of the room so the Master Emerald could communicate with Laki and tell her of her past.  
  
{Laki, we are alone now...} A voice says.  
  
"Who is there?" Laki asks.  
  
{I am overjoyed, for now is the time that I may not only tell you, but show you who I am...} The voice responds.  
  
"Then, do so," Laki whispers.  
  
Suddenly, the Master Emerald dims its light a little, and releases a pale ball of glowing energy. Then, it slowly glides over to Laki, and wavers in the air for a few moments. It then, releases a huge wall of light, and momentarily blinds Laki. After a few seconds, the captive light ceased, and a beautiful figure emerged from it. Laki thought for a moment that this figure was familiar to her.  
  
"Do, do I know you?" Laki asked.  
  
"You do indeed, future guardian," The figure said.  
  
The figure slowly began to take its form. First, beautiful straight pale-tan hair was visible. Laki recognized this, and realized that that hair was just like her own, except for the fact that she had natural red highlights when this figure's did not. The figure was soon fully visible, but Laki still could not think of who it was, but that it was a woman, who she felt a deep tie to.  
  
"Future guardian?" Laki asked.  
  
"Yes, that is what you are to become, my daughter," The woman said.  
  
"You mean that, you are..." Laki said.  
  
"Laki, I am your mother, Tikal," Tikal responded.  
  
Laki, in a dazed manner, was suddenly cheerful. She threw her arms around this woman, her mother. And Tikal returned the embrace that her daughter gave her. But this moment of happiness was short-lived, for Tikal still had to tell Laki of her past.  
  
"Laki, do you wish to know of your past?" Tikal asks her daughter.  
  
"Oh, yes! Please tell me, mother," Laki begged.  
  
"Very well. The Master Emerald was my tribe's, our tribe's, most prized treasure. It protected us, and allowed us to live in peace. But my father, your grandfather, was not satisfied. He wanted more. So he waged war to rule over much land. He was happy that he was able to this. But soon, his greed and arrogance grew, which soon led him to slow destruction. He was going to use this Master Emerald for the purpose of war, for his own personal gain. But attempting to do this, he killed himself, and his many followers. I knew, that the Master Emerald could be used for evil if it was not guarded carefully, so I allowed my sole to be one with the emerald. As the generations passed, many echidnas were chosen to guard this Master Emerald. The last in this line, was Knuckles. And after Knuckles, you are to come next. But your father is in great danger now, for he has been a target of destruction for many years. Laki, you must save your father! If you don't the line of guardians will be destroyed, and the Master Emerald will be susceptible to the evil in the world!"  
  
"But, wouldn't I just guard the Master Emerald then?" Laki asked.  
  
"I wish I were that simple, (Tikal sheds a single tear.) but Knuckles himself must pass the guard to you, or you are not the true guardian," Tikal says.  
  
"Then, I will find and save my father! Mother, thank you for allowing me to know this, before it was too late," Laki says.  
  
"May your violet eyes guide you true, and your arms uphold justice always, my daughter," Tikal said, as she transformed back into the pale ball of energy.  
  
Laki watched as the ball slowly flowed back into the Master Emerald. Once it was inside, the emerald began to glow at its normal magnitude again. Laki sat on the edge of her father's bed, thinking about her new purpose in life.  
  
~~Time Elapsed in this Section: About 8 hours~~  
  
"GAAAAAH!!! I MUST GO BACK TO THE TREASURE!" Rouge shouted as she broke the door handle and made it fall over.  
  
"ROUGE!" Shadow and Amy shouted.  
  
"Oh, hello Rouge!" Laki greeted.  
  
"Don't play dumb with me, what did it say?" Rouge demanded.  
  
"Rouge, I must save my father!" Laki shouted.  
  
"Oh, so NOW you tell me," Rouge said.  
  
"You mean that, Knuckles is in trouble?" Amy asked.  
  
"YES! That is why he has been gone so long!" Laki shouted a second time.  
  
"We will help you find and rescue him, Laki," Shadow offered.  
  
"Thank you, Shadow," Laki said.  
  
"Well, if we are gonna go save him, where is he?" Rouge asked.  
  
"Hmm, good question Rouge!" Amy said.  
  
"Let's see, who could we go ask for help who always has the latest technology at his/her fingertips and has a vast knowledge of the land surrounded Station Square? Oh yeah, if might help if this person has piloting skills, too, I'm not gonna walk to where my father is being held prisoner," Laki said.  
Amy, Rouge, and Shadow all look at each other, and blandly say together...  
  
"Tails..." __________________________________________________________________  
  
Hehe, don't you just love cliff-hangers? This one's for you, KittyHorse! Anyway, I'll try to get chapter 5 submitted some time this week, or weekend. Maybe even sooner. Anyway, please review and do not flame! Thank you. 


	5. A Shiny New Ride

Well, if you've been itching to see the next chapter, here it is! (I bet that you are jumping with glee, Kittyhorse) anyhow, please enjoy, R& R, and again, enjoy!  
  
Oh yeah, I do not own any of the Sonic characters except for Laki. I would gladly give her up to Nintendo/Sega/Sonic Team though if they would put her in a game, that would be so cool! ^_^ ________________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 5: A Shiny New Ride  
  
In the previous chapter, you'll recall that Laki finally showed Rouge, Amy and Shadow the heavenly green jewel, which was found out to be the Master Emerald. And as well as that, Laki had a revelation from someone she had been longing to see, her mother. Now, Laki seeks to do what her mother told her, save her father so the line for guardians may be preserved. Who will she call to aid her? Well, the last chapter told you that, too...  
  
~~Current Location: Laki's (Knuckles's) Apartment~~ ~~Current Time: Very early in the Morning, August~~  
  
"Come again?" Laki asks.  
  
"We said, Tails..." Amy replies.  
  
"Tails?" (Laki becomes very confused.)  
  
"If you have already forgotten, Tails was the fox with two tails. You thought that he was a siamesed twin who lost his other head." Rouge comments.  
  
"Oh yeah, that guy... But I never said OR THOUGHT that!" Laki shouts.  
  
"Uh, Rouge?" Shadow beckons.  
  
"What?" (Rouge steps over to Shadow)  
  
"That is what you thought the first time you saw him, remember?" Shadow whispered.  
  
"Oh..." (Rouge blushes terribly)  
  
"But, why do you think that he'll be able to help me?" Laki questions.  
  
"He not only has his own private air vehicles, but he can pilot them very well, too," Amy chimes in.  
  
"They have defense, in case we are attacked, don't forget!" Rouge adds.  
  
"And from what I recall, he has a very large amount of intellect and brain-power. And good morals plus a genuine ability to fly using his tails," Shadow finishes.  
  
"THE PERFECT HELP!" All three exclaim to Laki.  
  
"But, where is he then?" Laki asks.  
  
They then remind Laki that everyone else was staying at the nearby hotel. They all leave the apartment and go down to the first floor. When they reach the lobby, they head out the entrance over to the hotel which is only a few blocks away. But it is later into the morning, about 4, and they realize that they might not get breakfast. But Laki is too persistent to stop, so they keep walking to the hotel. When they reach the hotel's front door, a blur of a blue hue flies into Shadow. Shadow is confused as he flies backward into a stone column that decorates the entrance. TO his surprise and dismay, it is...  
  
"SHADOW, I HAVE BEEN UP ALL NIGHT WAITING FOR YOU! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!!?!!!" Sonic screams into Shadow's face, while clenching his neck.  
  
"Ughhckk, Sonic, I cannot breathe anymore..." Shadow manages to choke out.  
  
"Step aside everyone, this is a job for me!" Amy says, as she peels Sonic off of Shadow and pries his hands from Shadow's neck.  
  
"HEY!" Sonic screams.  
  
"Wow, what an interesting night this has been," Laki says out loud.  
  
"Never a dull moment in this group girl, the first rule you must learn about the Sonic Team!" Amy quotes herself, as she holds Sonic who is frantically trying to escape her arms.  
  
"(pant, pant) Sonic, I already told you (cough), I was staying with Laki because she asked me to, don't you EVER listen?" Shadow asked.  
  
"And besides, it's not like Shadow stood you up or anything, or is it?" Rouge questions.  
  
"Well..." Sonic suddenly realizes what Rouge meant, and started to shuffle his feet while looking at them.  
  
"That's what I thought," Rouge said.  
  
~~VERY BIG AND IMPORTANT EDITOR'S NOTE: You may interpret that last moment however you want, it won't affect the story. I am not trying to make any point with it whatsoever though. So don't get any weird thoughts.~~  
  
"Sonic, you have a tendency to freak out way too much. When we get married, you'd better not do that, or I'm gonna send you to an insane asylum, but don't worry, I'll visit you everyday in your small confined and locked room every day!" Amy says sarcastically.  
  
"NEVER! I'll never marry you!" Sonic screams at the top of his lungs.  
  
"See? What did I tell you?" Amy says as she points to Sonic.  
  
"Grrr..." Sonic growls.  
  
"Come on you guys, let's just go find Tails so we can embark on our adventure to save my dad, he could be (gulp) you know, any moment," Laki says, wiping away a tear.  
  
"Don't worry, we'd never let that happen," Rouge says while she puts her hand on Laki's left shoulder.  
  
"We shall see to it that Knuckles, your father, does not fall to that fate," Shadow says as he places his hand on Laki's right shoulder.  
  
"I promise you Laki, your dad will be saved!" Amy says as she holds Laki's hands in her own.  
  
"ADVENTURE!? I wanna go on an adventure! Please, lemme go, too!" Sonic begs.  
  
"Well, only if you go and get Tails for us," Amy says.  
  
"OK, COOL! Tails is coming, too!" (Sonic turns to run in and get Tails.)  
  
"(Amy gets an idea) AND, if you kneel in front of me," Amy offers.  
  
"Um, ok," Sonic says, but as he is about to kneel, he realizes something.  
  
"Why'd you stop, Sonic?" Amy asks.  
  
"I'm not THAT stupid! I'm just gonna go get Tails, and I am coming along, without marrying you, got it?" Sonic lectures.  
  
"A girl can try, can't she?" Amy pleads.  
  
"While you two were arguing, Tails could have been here by now, go and get him!" Laki shouts.  
  
"OK, OK!" (Sonic winks at Laki, and dashes into the hotel to fetch Tails.)  
  
~~Time Elapse: Approximately 4 hours~~  
  
Now, the whole gang of Laki, Shadow, Amy, Rouge, Tails, and yes, Sonic, too, are inside Tails car. Laki has already explained to Tails about her problem. But back to the car... It is new, and very valuable. Like a hot rod, only better. It can seat up to ten passengers comfortably, and can travel up to mach one. But Tails only drives the speed limit, which Sonic is upset by at times. BUT, Sonic loves one feature of Tails shiny new ride. It is also a shiny BLUE new ride. How odd, a BLUE hot rod. Being curious as always, Laki asks Tails of his new car.  
  
"Say, where'd you manage to get such nice car with a dark purple interior and leather seats?" Laki asks.  
  
"I didn't buy it, I MADE it, at my shop," Tails corrects.  
  
"WOW, you build cars?" Laki asks.  
  
"We told you, Laki, Tails is a great mechanic!" Amy says.  
  
"I must say, this is pretty darn smooth ride," Shadow comments.  
  
"And even if you didn't buy it, it sure LOOKS like an expensive ride!" Rouge adds.  
  
"Oh stop it, you guys... Anyway, if you think that that is all that this thing can do, just wait until we get to my base at the Mystic Ruins!" Tails says.  
  
"Oh Tails, how come you haven't even told me what your work of art can do yet?" (Sonic looks at Tails with a puppy-dog look, while petting the mirror of the passenger's side.)  
  
"Sonic, that would spoil the surprise! I want EVERYONE to have the same experience with my new car," Tails says.  
  
"Wait a second, how can you be driving when you are only eight, and I am sixteen, and still don't even have a licsense?" Laki wonders.  
  
"Um, I uh... Oh look Amy, it is the new edition that they are building onto the Twinkle Park!" Tails says, trying to change the subject.  
  
"AHHHHH, it is sooo beautiful! Sonic, we have to go! And guess what? Cute couples still get in free!" Amy looks at Sonic flirtatiously.  
  
"No, way," Sonic says.  
  
"Amy, you should leave Sonic. He is such a stick-in-the-mud, you two would be divorced before you even finished your vows," Rouge implores.  
  
"Oh, that isn't true," Amy says.  
  
"Well, believe what you wanna believe," Rouge says.  
  
"Hey, I can have fun if want to!" Sonic shouts.  
  
"Oh, really? I'd like to see you try," (Rouge smirks)  
  
"We'll go over to Twinkle Park right now! Tails, stop the car!" (Sonic is about to put his own foot over onto the break pedal.)  
  
"Sonic, I can't drive like this!" Tails shouts.  
  
"(smiling) I say, that if you say that you can be so fun, take Amy over to Twinkle Park," Shadow says, showing a bit a of a smirk along with his humor.  
  
"Oh, Sonic, please please, pretty please?!?" Amy begs.  
  
"Hey, that isn't what I said!" Sonic shouts.  
  
"GET OFF IT ALREADY!!! YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN ARGUING FOR THE PAST HOUR!!! TAILS, SPEED UP A LITTLE, WE NEED TO GET TO THE MYSTIC RUINS FASTER THAN THIS!!!" Laki screams.  
  
Everyone stares at Laki.  
  
"Tails, I told you to do something, why haven't you done it?" Laki scolds.  
  
"Oh right, sorry," Tails says as he accelerates.  
  
The whole group goes completely silent for fear of upsetting Laki again. The only one who dares to speak to Laki is Shadow, who understands her misery that she bears for the fear of her dad's safety. Laki loosens up a little, for to her, Shadow is so comforting. Slowly, the scenery of the city turns into the scenery of a mountain landscape. The area slowly becomes more and more familiar to everyone. Especially Laki. Tails manages to maneuver his huge vehicle up to his base and parks it just next to the garage. Everyone gets outs, with very very stiff legs. Laki asks Tails where his plane is, so that they may search for her father. But Tails tells her that aimlessly looking for someone is the worst possible way to do it. He is about to take everyone into his base, when a familiar silhouette floats across the horizon of the setting sun. It is dusk, so it is hard to make out the figure at first. But when it comes closer, the gang realizes that the figure is none other than...  
  
"I can't believe that we left Cream behind at the hotel!" Tails shouts.  
  
"Oh my god, how did she manage to fly all the way here?" Amy asks in a stupefied way.  
  
"Well, very simple. It is MUCH easier to fly when you are only carrying yourself, not a giant robot or a bunch of other people," Rouge comments.  
  
"Exactly right," Tails concurs.  
  
"Poor Cream..." Laki says.  
  
Cream flies over their heads, and slowly lands.  
  
"You guys, how come you didn't let me come?" Cream asks.  
  
"We are so sorry, Cream! Forgive us, please!" Amy asks.  
  
"Already done, Amy!" Cream says cheerfully.  
  
"It is quite late everyone, we should rest here at Tails base, until morning. As much as we need to continue, I don't think that it would be wise to do so at night," Shadow says.  
  
"Ok, Shadow, I trust your judgment," Laki says.  
  
"WHAT!?! A while ago, you were freaking out because you were afraid that we wouldn't get to your dad in time to save him before they decide to kimmmph..." (Sonic's mouth is muffled by Amy's, Rouge's, Shadow's, and Tails's hands.)  
  
"Cream, will you help me save my father? It would be an honor if you would," Laki asks Cream.  
  
"It would be an honor to help save the guardian of the Master Emerald!" Cream says excitedly.  
  
"Thank you!" Laki says to Cream.  
  
Meanwhile, Tails had gone into the base, and had walked out with a big and cold robot.  
  
"Everyone, I'd like you all to meet, Sweet Tooth 001," Tails says.  
  
"What does it do," Rouge asks.  
  
"HE, is a personal needs robot. He though, is basically an ice cream machine. I figured that with a such a hectic day, we all could use a little bit of it," Tails says.  
  
"!!!" (Cream becomes anxious)  
  
"What is it, Cream?" Tails asks Cream.  
  
"MAY I PLEASE RIGHT NOW HAVE SOME OF YOUR ICE CREAM?" Cream asks, while drooling.  
  
"Uh, sure, go ahead," Tails says.  
  
"YAY!" (Cream dashes over the the robot, gives it a big hug, and it makes a nice big ice cream cone for her, she eats it in about 45 seconds.)  
  
Everyone stares at the cute rabbit with chocolate ice cream all over her face. Surely, if anyone is the life of the group now, it is her. Everyone laughs hysterically at Cream. Laki lets out a few chuckles, but cannot concentrate fully on what is happening. For she has only one main thing on her mind. And that is by now, more apparent to not just the group, but to you as well right now.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
So, how did you like chapter 5? As always, if you have an opinion, or you read the story and liked it, please please purdy please review, for me? Anyhow, I do not know when I'll get around to chapter six. Usually, when I start making a chapter, I don't stop writing it until I'm done. So when I do start chapter 6, it will take me roughly an hour to finish. But I am lazy sometimes, so it takes me awhile to get around to it.  
  
Oh, and one more thing. If you aren't reading these little information blocks regularly, I suggest, encourage, and implore you to do so. I write them for a reason. To keep YOU yes YOU updated on my progress, and sometimes other fanfics. So, please read the top and bottom blocks of text. You'll get more out of reading my work by doing so.  
  
Anyway, thank you very much for staying with my story for those of you who have, you know who you are! ^_^ And thank you if you read the story, but I'd really like your reviews, too! Thanks again! Ciao` 'til next chapter! 


	6. Late Night Fright

Oh my, God, I apologize for such a long break in the story! I just kinda put the story off and forgot about it, but I know that you people hate that, so I am going to get the story back on its feet again. It was terrible of me to leave you all in such agony over it. So, I finally give you patient readers, Chapter 6!  
  
(P.S.: Only Laki belongs to me, and the setup of the story. All other characters belong to the Sonic Team and Sega. (PSST! If the Sonic Team wants to use Laki, they may!) I can dream, can't I?) ________________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 6: Late Night Fright  
  
As of last time, our groupies, know as the Sonic Team, were just starting to chow down on a very common dessert, popular among the young and old. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. But Laki, was still worried about the same thing she had been all day. And no amount of frozen delight could freeze her fears over. And the sweetness to her, was only bittersweetness. But as night approaches, sleep must come... ...but will it?  
  
~~Current Location: Outside of Tail's Shop at the Mystic Ruins~~ ~~Current Time: Past Sunset, August~~  
  
"Well, I'd say that I had plenty of ice-cream by now... And to keep my beautiful figure, I think that I'd better go do a bit of running," Rouge comments.  
  
"Oh, Rouge... Now you've done it! Now I feel guilty about eating!" Amy complains.  
  
"I must say, women sure worry about their looks too much," Sonic remarks, while gulping down his ice-cream cone.  
  
Rouge and Amy glare at Sonic.  
  
"Laki, I find it disturbing that you aren't offended by this comment," Rouge scolds while looking in Laki's direction.  
  
"(Jerks her head up) Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Sonic, that is mean of you," Laki says, and looks back at the horizon.  
  
"Well, if it bothers you that much, I have a work-out station in my shop. You can even do Pilates!" Tails offers.  
  
"REALLY!?!?" Rouge exclaims.  
  
"What's Pilates? Is it some kind of drink?" Cream asks, confused.  
  
Amy falls on her back laughing, while Rouge stands in shock.  
  
"Calm down, we don't have time to be concerned with our figures, we should really be getting to sleep," Shadow says.  
  
"Yes, I would have to agree," Laki says, as she stands up.  
  
"Common you guys, help me put Sweet Tooth 001 away, and then I'll direct you to the sleeping chambers," Tails announces.  
  
"Tails, this isn't the Renaissance, speak in the present century," Amy comments.  
  
Ignoring Amy's remark, Tails pulls his robot back into the garage, and leads the whole group into his mansion-like house/workshop. Like it usually would be done, he directs Amy, Rouge, Laki, and Cream into one area, and Sonic and Shadow into another. However, this is where the fun begins!  
  
~~Time Elapse: 1.5 hours~~ ~~In Sonic and Shadow's room~~  
  
"Good-night Shads," Sonic bids.  
  
"Same to you," Shadow responds, and crosses his arms and almost instantly falls asleep, in almost a too orderly fashion.  
  
As soon as Sonic hears Shadow breathing consistently, he slowly slides out of his bed and puts his shoes on.  
  
"Hehe, and I hope I see someone ELSE in the morning!" Sonic mutters under his breath, and quietly exits the room.  
  
Once he reaches the end of the hallway for the men's dormitories (No, this is Tail's home, not a boarding school!), he makes a left turn.  
  
~~Meanwhile in Cream and Amy's room~~  
  
"I ate too much or not enough ice-cream. Either way, I shall sleep well tonight. How about you, Amy?" Cream asks.  
  
"Don't remind me, I hate eating AND thinking about it, as in, doing those two things at the same time," Amy says.  
  
"Oh well, we are going to have such fun saving Knuckles, and keeping world peace, and flying around with my ears, and driving in..." (Cream is interrupted.)  
  
"Just go to sleep, Cream," Amy almost yells.  
  
"Oh, so sorry. Well then, good night, Amy!" Cream bids.  
  
Amy waits for Cream to fall asleep, and then realizes why she hasn't.  
  
"Oh fine, good night to you, too. (She thinks) Sorry about being rude, we are friends, we shouldn't do that,"  
  
"It's ok, I forgive you, Amy. G'night!" (Cream falls asleep intantaniously)  
  
"Wow," Amy whispers, "I thought she'd never go to sleep,"  
  
Amy also quietly puts her boots on, and heads for the bedroom door. Once she leaves the room, and reaches the end of the women's dormitory hallway, she makes a right turn.  
  
~~And in Rouge and Laki's room~~  
  
"Wow, who would have thought that Laki would fall asleep so easily? The poor gal. Worried sick about her father. But I have no time to think about that, as my true passion is awaiting me elsewhere. Oh, that big hunk of red-fur, here I come!" Rouge says gleefully, and also heads for her door, thinking that she will go to Angel Island while no one else will notice she is gone. But, notice that I said THINKING...  
  
~~Back in Sonic and Shadow's room~~  
  
"It seems that Sonic has left, perhaps for the bathroom, or perhaps not. But I feel a greater attention needed. As my loins you might say, are demanding it. I shall take leave of this confined room, to seek out who I desire," Shadow says, and also exits the room.  
  
~~Back in the women's dormitory hallway~~  
  
"(while running) Argh, what a time for nature's doing to call me! Grr, where's that bathroom?!?" Rouge shrieks.  
  
~~In another hallway~~  
  
"Hmm, I seem to be lost... Oh well, I'm sure that I'll find the room that I am looking for sooner or later," Sonic sighs.  
  
~~In the men's dormitory hallway~~  
  
"I wonder which one of these rooms my beloved Sonic is in? (Amy thinks) Maybe I'll just wait and see if Sonic comes out of one of them to use the bathroom. He ALWAYS has to at night. And if I'm not mistaken, he should have to right about..."  
  
~~Back to Sonic~~  
  
"Oh no! Not now, please not now! Gosh darn it, now I have to go find a bathroom," Sonic mutters.  
  
~~Back to Amy~~  
  
"Geez, why'd I have to say that? Now I have to go. There's a bathroom over there, I'm heading there, and I don't care which gender of bathroom it happens to be!" Amy says, as she angrily heads towards the bathroom.  
  
~~Outside of the women's dormitory bathroom~~  
  
"After all that running, I haven't the slightest bit of energy left, (Rouge yawns), I best be heading back to the room, only, where is my room?" Rouge says, as she heads off down a different hallway.  
  
~~In a far out hallway~~  
  
"I can't see anything in this darkness. I believe that I am lost. I should try to head back to my room," Shadow comments.  
  
~~Back to Sonic~~  
  
"Here is the bathroom! Oh god, I can tell its gonna last awhile..." Sonic remarks.  
  
~~Back in Laki's room~~  
  
"I can't sleep anymore, just thinking about my dad. Maybe I'll go for a walk," Laki says.  
  
"On second thoughts, someone might see me. I think I'll just open the window and climb out," (and she does just that)  
  
~~Back to Rouge~~  
  
"Well, here is the dormitory! I'd better go in quietly, or Laki will wake up,"  
  
Rouge enters the room.  
  
"She's gone? She must have also headed for the bathroom. Well, I'm not about to let it bug me. I am too tired," Rouge collapses on a bed and falls asleep,"  
  
~~Back to Shadow~~  
  
"I think this is my room, "(Shadow quietly cracks open the door)  
  
"Hmm, Sonic hasn't returned yet. Well, I'll just go to sleep then,"  
  
Shadow goes back to sleep on one of the beds  
  
~~Outside of the women's dormitory bathroom again~~  
  
"I can't believe that there weren't any urinals in that bathroom! Well, I know that I'm in the women's dormitory then, that's for sure!" Sonic says as he gets a big grin on his face.  
  
"Is she in this room? (Sonic opens the door) Nope, just Cream. (He closes it.) How about this one? (He opens the other door) There she is! My wonderful, wonderful idol of admiration! I'll just quietly get in with her, too bad that it is so dark and I can hardly see a thing,"  
  
~~Back to Amy, who also has just finished nature's call~~  
  
"Grr, where is that Sonic?! I am so fumed, why wasn't he in the bathroom? GAH I don't really care anymore! I'm so mad! I just wanna go to bed. I'll go into this room and sleep. Who knows? Maybe I'll find Sonic..." Amy says.  
  
She enters the room.  
  
"Ah ha! Oops... I'd better not get too loud, he might wake up. Here I come Sonic!," Amy says as she goes into the bed with the other silent sleeper and falls asleep herself.  
  
~~Back to Cream's room~~  
  
"Amy...?" Cream says, shivering, "Where are you? I'm kinda scared!"  
  
"Oh, I don't like this! Where is the light switch!?!" Cream cries.  
  
She finds it, and flips it on.  
  
"There, now it isn't so bad. But where did she go? I'd better go find her.  
  
Cream exits her room, and heads down the hallway. Only instead of turning, she goes straight.  
  
~~Back to Sonic~~  
  
Sonic wraps his arms around his bedmate.  
  
~~Back to Amy~~  
  
She does the same.  
  
~~Back to Shadow~~  
  
For some reason, he returns the embrace to his embracer.  
  
~~Back to Rouge~~  
  
And it is the same here. ~~In Tail's room~~  
  
"TAILS!! WAKE UP!!" Cream shouts in Tail's face.  
  
"Whu..huh?" Tails murmurs.  
  
"Rouge is missing!" Cream yells.  
  
"I'm sure that she's just in the bathroom or something, go back to your room," Tails says.  
  
"But! (Cream realizes that Tails has gone back to sleep) Oh, alright, if you say so..."  
  
"By the way, (Tails gets up wondering), how did you manage to see your way here? It is inky dark in the hallways at night, you know,"  
  
"Oh, I have my trusty flashlight along with me!" Cream proudly presents it before Tails.  
  
"Oh, I see. But go back to bed now, I'm tired," Tails immediately returns to his sleep.  
  
"Good night Tails!" Cream bids him, and heads back to her room.  
  
~~Back in Cream's room~~  
  
"Sigh, Rouge is still not back yet. Maybe she won't be, she must drinking her Pilates or something, if only I knew," Cream sighs again.  
  
"Well, good-night to myself!" Cream bids to herself, and goes back to sleep.  
  
It is very late now, and everyone is soundly sleeping. But, why have Rouge, Amy, Shadow, and Sonic all left their rooms? And who are they sleeping with? Amy seems to be sleeping with Sonic, but that's all we know. Or is she? Find out in Chapter 7, which I plan to name, "Morning Mournings." ________________________________________________________________________  
  
How did you like Chapter 6? I made it a little more interesting this time, as an apology for the lack of updating the story. Please, be sure to review! And if possible, make your review a signed review so that I may know who you are. PS: I got this idea from a show I saw once, I just really revamped it. Anyhow, I should be working on the next chapter soon, as I don't want to drop the story again. Thank you so much for reading! ^_^ 


	7. Morning Mournings

Here we are! It's chapter 7 people! Lalala... I'm kinda lost in my thoughts and brainless at the same time right now, so bare with me. Anyhow, I think that you'll enjoy this almost TOO intimate chapter. (Don't worry, fluff is miniscule.) However, be prepared for much cold feelings. And mild, non-animated violence. This chapter will probably change the meaning of the story. But not too much. Enjoy!  
  
And again, I feel that I should mention, I do not own any of the Sonic Characters. But Laki is mine, and Sega's too, if they wish to have her. ________________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 7: Morning Mournings  
  
We last left our characters all snug in their beds... with each other. Together, in a peaceful intimate slumber. Why did they leave their warm beds for each others? Who is the other person in the bed with each of them? And is Laki coming back? All of these and more are about to be answered...  
  
~~Current Location: Tail's Kitchen~~ ~~Current Time: Morning, Late August~~  
  
"(YAWN) Nothing like a good-nights sleep! And waking up at 8 am just in time to meet the day!" Tails says.  
  
"Good morning, Tails!" Cream announces, out of no where.  
  
"EEEK!" screams Tails, as he stumbles and falls on his back.  
  
"Are you all right, Tails?" Cream asks.  
  
"Yes, yes, I'll be fine. Just DON'T ever do the again, you'll end up killing someone one of these days!" Tails lectures.  
  
"I'm sorry, but, I'm hungry. Can I have more ice-cream?" Cream questions.  
  
"Uh, no, but you can have some Coco Cheerios, or Fruity Puffs!" Tails says, holding out the cereal.  
  
"Ooh, how about some pancakes!" the cute rabbit begs.  
  
"What? Oh, fine..." Tails responds, almost irritated.  
  
"I'll also put on some tea," Tails says.  
  
"Tails, why is no one else awake?" Cream asks Tails.  
  
"I honestly do not know. Maybe they were up all night, or something... But it is none of our business. (Tails then opens a box of Penelope's Pancake Mix)"  
  
"It really makes me wonder... Why do people sleep in so much? Don't they know that it is bad for your fur?" Cream wonders.  
  
"Uh, sure, they don't know that I guess," says Tails sarcastically.  
  
Meanwhile, in the sleeping dormitories, four of our heroes are contently slumbering the morning away. They dream of their dream-mate that they are sleeping with. But these dreams are about to shatter into thousands of little pieces...  
  
~~Where Sonic is sleeping~~  
  
"Oh, I just can't believe that my dreams are coming true!" Sonic says, while drooling in his sleep.  
  
~~Where Amy is sleeping~~  
  
"This bed is our dreamboat, and you are my dreamBOY," Amy says, in her sleep, while cuddling her bedmate.  
  
~~Where Shadow is sleeping~~  
  
"You light up my life, you give me hope... If you wannabe my lova... ...which you are... ...I need some love like I neva needed love, before..." Shadow croons in his sleep.  
  
~~Where Rouge is sleeping~~  
  
"Is that you, Knuckles?" Rouge asks as she is about to wake up.  
  
~~Back to Tail's Kitchen~~  
  
"OH MY GOD!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!!! (Simultaneous blood curdling screams)" cries of horror coming from the dormitories.  
  
Both Tails and Cream jump up from their chairs, spilling coffee/tea all over themselves, each other, and the floor.  
  
"Whu, what was that, Tails? Is your house.. h, huh, haunted!?!??!" Cream asks very nervously.  
  
"No, Cream. That was only the scream of..." Tails is interrupted.  
  
"(Amy begins to sob) Oh, why did I do it, why did I do it, why did I do it..." Amy moans.  
  
"I THOUGHT that I was sleeping alone last night, but then you came in and ruined me!!!" Rouge screams in Amy's face.  
  
"I didn't mean to! Honestly! (crying) Please, just don't tell anyone!" Amy sobs even more.  
  
"Well, by golly, I'd better just keep an eye out for pink fur before I go to bed from now on!" Rouge scolds.  
  
"Calm down, you two. There is no point in getting mad at each oth..." Cream is interrupted.  
  
"Mad!? MAD!? I am just getting started!" Rouge shouts.  
  
"Well, if YOU hadn't left your room, it would have been Sonic and me in that room last night, not you!" Amy accuses.  
  
"What!?! You guys were sneaking around in my house last night!?! Why I oughta..." but once again, Tails is interrupted.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!! What in the WORLD are you doing in here!?!?!?! You aren't supposed to be here! Wait a minute... if you ARE here, then, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" more screaming from the dormitories.  
  
"Oh... my... god..." Tails groans.  
  
"Isn't it funny how Rouge and Amy are oblivious to the screams we just heard? Notice how they are still practically killing each other," Cream says.  
  
"What the hell were you in THAT room in THAT bed with me!?!?!" Sonic demands as he and Shadow just get into the kitchen.  
  
"Whaddaya mean, what was ~I~ doing in the room!? I was there first! Then you showed up!" Shadow shouts.  
  
"Oh, don't pretend to be so innocent, you KNEW what you were trying to do!!!" Sonic screams.  
  
"And what was that?!" Shadow screams right back.  
  
"To destroy me by humiliation!!" Sonic shouts.  
  
"Hello? Don't you think that I'M a little humiliated right now, too!?!" Shadow shouts.  
  
"You two just SHUT-UP, so I can settle this between Amy and I once and for all!!" Rouge screams at Sonic and Shadow.  
  
"You just BUTT OUT of our conversation!!" Sonic yells.  
  
"Well, look who's talking now, big guy!" Rouge says.  
  
"Hey, no one says that to MY Sonic!!" Amy scolds.  
  
"Really? Is that a threat!?!" Rouge teases while shouting.  
  
"I am NOT, YOUR SONIC!!!!" Sonic screams.  
  
"Don't you DARE scream at Amy!" Shadow yells.  
  
"I'll yell at whoever I WANT!!!" Sonic shouts.  
  
"Bring it on!" Shadow practically demands.  
  
"No, no... why me, why now?" Tails sobs.  
  
Both Tails and Cream watch in horror as a huge fight begins in his kitchen. Sonic kicks Shadow in the face and he returns with a low-blow. Amy slaps Rouge, and Rouge does a Screw Kick to Amy. Blows are exchanged continuously. Cream begins to cry, and Tails runs to save his pancakes. All of this in this fray continues violently... until someone comes into the kitchen...  
  
"What the... this is odd," Laki says.  
  
"Have at thee, coward!" Shadow yells at Sonic.  
  
"I already have, ye scurvy knave!" Sonic yells back.  
  
"I bite my thumb at you, so ha-ha-HA!" Amy shouts to Rouge.  
  
"Well, I bite my thumb back at you!" Rouge shouts back.  
  
"Grrr, you're gonna pay with your life!" Amy screams.  
  
"Come on, sista, show me whatcha got!" Rouge intimidates.  
  
Laki then joins Cream and Tails to watch this vicious battle between bitter friends. But soon, Laki notices something that her mother had passed on to her. A secret ability, that gave her an advantage. Laki could see that the skin of her fighting friends was weak, and beginning to give way. Soon, someone was going to be badly hurt. Blood, was going to flow from her friends if she didn't stop them. So, she stood up, walked over to first Shadow and Sonic, and just as they charged each other, she put up both of her arms, out-stretched, and caught both Shadow and Sonic. One in each hand.  
  
"Grrr, lemme at him, I want to KILL him!!!" Sonic grunted.  
  
"No, you don't want to kill him. You are just upset that your plan last night did not work out, and that it gave you bad consequences," Laki says.  
  
"Such a man I have yet to see in this blue faker!" Shadow mumbled.  
  
"WHAT!?!" Sonic yelled.  
  
"Stop it, both of you, NOW!!! Or I shall be forced to carry out physical force to stop you!" Laki yelled, louder than any of the yells made before.  
  
Sonic and Shadow both stood up really straight, wide-eyed, and petrified.  
  
"Now, to stop the ladies..." Laki said.  
  
Laki, once again, put up her hands, outstretched, to stop Amy and Rouge from killing each other.  
  
"Common, girl, let me make this wretch SUFFER!!!" Amy yelled.  
  
"(sigh) I guess women are no different from men. I'll have to stop you in the same way," Laki says.  
  
"What do you mean!?" Rouge demanded.  
  
"Well, I just mean simply that I... WILL HAVE TO HURT YOU TO GET YOU TO STOP IF YOU DON'T ON YOUR OWN!!!" Laki yelled, louder than before.  
  
"Geez, girl, you gotta take a chill pill," Amy says.  
  
"Shut yer yap, Amy!" Laki scolded.  
  
"That was kind of rude, Laki, wasn't it?" Cream said.  
  
"Don't make me have to do the same to you, too!" Laki scolded.  
  
"EEEP! Sorry..." Cream said, trying not to cry.  
  
Laki then began to pace around the kitchen, looking sternly at everyone, questioning their faces. Laki then decided that she'd start with Rouge, and figure out just what was going on.  
  
"Ok, Rouge... Why were you sleeping with Amy last night?" Laki asked.  
  
"Well, I had originally sneaked out of the bedroom, so I could go to Angel Island and find my one true love, Knuck..." Rouge is interrupted by staring faces, and Laki's voice.  
  
"Have you forgotten something, Rouge!?!" Laki scolded.  
  
"What? Why are you all staring at me? I just wanted to go see my beloved Knuck... (She interrupts herself) Oh my god... I am such an idiot..." Rouge says very embarrassed, she had forgotten that Knuckles was missing.  
  
"That's what I thought. Remember, we are on this journey to SAVE MY FATHER, Knuckles. Not make love; it is the same story with the rest of you, sneaking out to find the one you love, right!?!" Laki yelled.  
  
Everyone nodded, excluding the scared Tails and Cream, who are hiding behind the chairs on the other side of the table.  
  
"I would have expected better of my father's closest friends, especially you, Rouge! From now on, we take no breaks, no rests, no nothing. We will not stop until my father is safe at home," Laki says.  
  
Laki then wipes the sweat from her head, and turns back to Tails and Cream, who are shaking nervously behind the chair.  
  
"Well, Tails? Aren't you going to go get your navigation devices so that we may find my father!?" Laki says.  
  
"Oh, yes, of course!! So sorry..." Tails says, as he runs to find his things.  
  
"Cream, go help him!" Laki orders.  
  
"Right away, Laki!" Cream says cherrfully, try to cheer up Laki.  
  
"And as for the rest of you, apologize, and forget that what happened happened. I don't want to hear ANYTHING ELSE about it!" Laki orders again.  
  
"I'm sorry for hurting you, Sonic," Shadow says.  
  
"I'm sorry for screaming at you," Sonic replies.  
  
"We are friends. It shouldn't have been that big of deal," Shadow said.  
  
"Will you forgive me?" Sonic asks.  
  
Shadow and Sonic hug (yes, hug) each other tight, realizing what terrible things they might have done to each other if they had not been stopped by Laki. And at the same time, Rouge and Amy make up.  
  
"Heh, look at those two losers hug each other," Rouge laughs.  
  
"I must admit, it looks RIDICULOUS," Amy chuckles along.  
  
"I'm sorry, Amy," Rouge says.  
  
"Me too," Amy replies.  
  
"That is much better, all of you," Laki comments, pleased with her efforts.  
  
Laki then smiles, and realizes why these people were friends with her father. How they forgave each other for anything. And stuck together no matter what. (As shown in many other fanfictions.) So, she shed a tear, happy that she knew she could count on them. For the battle with her father's kidnapper, had yet to begin. ________________________________________________________________________  
  
Whew! I am finally done writing this chapter! It took me a long time. All of this anger flying back and forth was immense! Sigh, I love drama! Maybe I will put more in the next chapter...  
  
Anyway, thank you for reading chapter 7! It makes me feel happy to know that I have people who actually WANT to read the story! And thank you SO MUCH Arielle for coming back to my story when I started writing it again!  
  
As usual, please make your review a sign-review (you do know what that is, don't you?) if possible. And even if you can't, review anyway! I love your comments and love just being recognized! Thanks again! 


	8. Let's Go Fly a Car

Let's take a look at chapter 8, shall we? (I am trying to vary my notes at the tops and bottoms of chapters) It should prove to be exciting, thrilling, and the adventure of a lifetime! (Well, for the characters anyway...) I hope that you enjoy this chapter! Oh and one thing, I have decided that I will finish this story before I go on to finish the Big Adventure in Sarasaland. I don't want to have too many things to worry about at one time. And again, enjoy!  
  
Can't ever leave out the fact that I do not own the Sonic Team (that 's how I refer to them as a whole) I do take credit for Laki, but Sega may feel free to use her! ________________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 8: Let's Go Fly a Car  
  
After the big battle in the kitchen, everyone is quite exhausted. Especially, Laki, who had to fight the battle itself to stop it. How will she manage to harness this much energy for her battles yet to come? She has time to wait, but not much. And, how does she and the rest of the Sonic Team plan to go about finding her father, Knuckles? Let's take a peek and see...  
  
~~Current Location: Tail's Kitchen~~ ~~Current Time: 12 pm afternoon, August~~  
  
"Laki, Laki! I have the equipment now, let's get it ready to go!" Tails shouts.  
  
"Awesome, Tails! You sure work fast!" Laki comments.  
  
"Laki, I have never seen you like that before... So incredibly..." Amy pauses.  
  
"Such a good leader?" Shadow offers.  
  
"No, Shadow. I am not a good leader. I did what I had to do so you guys wouldn't kill each other. I don't have the strength to become a leader," Laki says sheepishly.  
  
"Well, Laki, you sure did good work of stopping us anyway!" Rouge says, trying to excite Laki.  
  
"I must admit, Laki, I thought of you differently before. But you've really shocked us all. I mean, the car ride over here was nothing compared to what you just did!" Sonic adds.  
  
"Laki, are you coming to help us?" Cream asks as she comes back into the kitchen.  
  
"Let's all go help Tails," Amy says.  
  
No one questions Amy's idea. They all quietly walk over to Tails shop, where he is preparing to get the group ready for their departure. To their surprise, his navigation equipment is no where to be found. Sonic steps up to Tails and questions this.  
  
"Tails, um, where is the stuff?" Sonic asks, as blankly as possible.  
  
"It's in the car, now common, we have to get going!" Tails says, as he begins shuffling the group into his luxurious blue car once again.  
  
"What is the meaning of this!?" Rouge shouts.  
  
"Uh, Tails, how are we gonna find Knuckles in a car?" Amy asks.  
  
"Oh, you'll see!" Tails says in an excited voice.  
  
Once everyone is inside the car, (Sonic in the front as usual, and Tails at the driver's seat) he orders everyone to fasten their seat belts. All but Sonic does this. Everyone looks at him in an upset way, which makes him quickly change his mind. Once Sonic gets his seat belt fastened after about five tries, Tails then says:  
  
"Initiate internal engines 1 through 3!" And then he fires them up.  
  
"Open hangar/garage door 9!" And the door in front of his car opens.  
  
"Initiate internal engines 4 through 6!" And he also fires them up.  
  
"Tails, just what are we doing?" Amy asks nervously as the car begins to rumble.  
  
"This is unusual, I wonder where I can get a car like this?" Laki wonders.  
  
"Quiet, I'm not done yet!" Tails shouts.  
  
The group all begins to wonder what is going on. Shadow tries his best to remain calm. Rouge is wondering where her pearls are, and who she put down on her will to own them. Amy begins to tremble and whimper. Laki is just amazed at Tails magnificent car. Sonic is freaking out, but not saying anything. And Cream...  
  
"WHEEEE!!! This is fun!" Cream sings.  
  
"I'm just getting started!" Tails says.  
  
He then puts on a helmet, and continues to say:  
  
"Transformation A of Infraviolet engage!" Tails shouts.  
  
"What? Infraviolet?" Shadow asks, confused, "Isn't it infrared, or ultraviolet?"  
  
"That is the name of Tails gorgeous and beautiful car that we are in..." Sonic says, while perpetually petting the side view mirror.  
  
"Sonic, I'd move my hand if I were you..." Tails suggests.  
  
"Why? I L-O-V-E LOVE this car!" Sonic exclaims.  
  
But suddenly, the side view mirror folds into the car, and Sonic's hand goes with it unfortunately. Luckily though, he is able to get it out without breaking anything. The car doors suddenly bolt shut, and begin to rattle as if they were about to do something. The front of the car then begins to jut outward like a cone. And the back of the car begins to change shape. It begins to become...  
  
...more aerodynamic.  
  
Tails then continues to yell out preparations.  
  
"Initiate external engines 1-3!" He then fires up them.  
  
"Begin automatic drive out of the garage/hangar!" Tails shouts as the car begins to move on its own.  
  
"EEK, it's moving, it's moving! Make it stop, make it stop!" Rouge screams.  
  
"Stop yourself, stop yourself!" Sonic says.  
  
"Let shut up, let's shut up!" Shadow mocks.  
  
"Oh my god, oh... my... GOD!!!" Amy shrieks, not realizing that she too, is mocking.  
  
"Ooh lala this is so much fun, ooh lala this is so much..." Cream says, as she is interrupted.  
  
"Please, stop, that is getting annoying!" Laki says.  
  
"Quiet, all of you, I'm still not done..." Tails says patiently. He then continues to shout out his preparations.  
  
"Initiate external engines 4 though 6!" He says, and then fires them up.  
  
"Set take-off point at runway 7!" Tails shouts.  
  
"Runway 7? Tails, um, are we, going for a little aerial flight?" Laki asks.  
  
"Hush. Engage Transformation B!" Tails shouts.  
  
This time, the car doors make a weird noise, and shoot out glorious wings. Then, the back of the car expands smaller tail wings. Then the windshield of the car stretches over the entire span of the seat where our heroes are seated. Everyone, especially Sonic, stares in wonder and amazement this time.  
  
"Tails, this machine you have begat... it is... is... so... marvelous," Shadow says in a moved way.  
  
"I must admit, you really have outdone yourself this time..." Amy compliments.  
  
"Oooh, look at the blinking lights!" Cream says delighted.  
  
"Breath-taking, just breath-taking..." Laki says.  
  
"This car was made for queens and kings to drive!" Rouge says in a joyous voice.  
  
"Kings and queens? Kings and queens!?" Sonic says upset, "Man, this thing was made for God to drive!" Sonic shouts out.  
  
"Well, knowing us, our God might not be the same God as everyone elses," Laki says.  
  
"Quiet, the readers aren't supposed to be thinking about that!" Amy whispers.  
  
"But, still..." Sonic mutters.  
  
"I thought that you'd all like it!" But I'm still not done..." Tails says.  
  
"There's more? Shadow asks.  
  
"Oh you bet!" Tails says.  
  
"Final Transformation C, engage!" Tails shouts.  
  
Finally, a rotor comes out of the front of the car. It begins to rotate at death-like speed and accelerate quickly. And unexpectedly, a second and third set of wings fold out from the car, making it a triplane. More lights begin flashing, and the internal and external engines, all twelve of them, begin to roar like a lion. The rumbling increases slowly as the engines begin to generate more and more of their immense power.  
  
The group sits in bedazzlement. They cannot think of anything else to say. (But I, the writer could go on and on...)  
  
"Now that we are facing the runway, begin take-off sequence!" Tails shouts.  
"Take-off thruster Din, start!" Tails shouts, as he presses a large orange button on his control panel.  
  
An orange flame bursts out of the back left of the car, or should we say, aircraft?  
  
"Take-off thruster Nayru, ignite!" Tails shouts while pressing a big blue button on his control panel.  
  
A blue flame bursts out of the back right of the aircraft.  
  
"Take-off thruster Farore, go!" Tails shouts while the giant lime- green button on the control panel is being pressed by his finger.  
  
A lime-green flame bursts out of the back center of the aircraft.  
  
Suddeny, the Infraviolet, (that's its name, remember?) jolts forward onto the runway at a deadly velocity. Everyone inside the car is pushed back against their seats by the all too intense inertia. Everyone looks at Tails, wondering what is going to happen when he presses the over-sized majestic pink button on his control panel that lies in the middle of the blue, orange, and lime-green buttons.  
  
"Are you all ready for this!?" Tails shouts as acceleration increases beyond belief.  
  
"Do we have a choice?" Amy manages to say.  
  
"YES, YAY, MORE MORE MORE!" Cream screams.  
  
Tails then slowly moves his finger one top of the pink button. He cautiously waits for the right moment...  
  
"And..." Tails says.  
  
"INITIATE FINAL TAKE-OFF THRUSTER ZELDA!!!" Tails shouts, and presses that humongous and over-sized pink button that lies on his complicated control panel.  
  
And finally, a huge heat wave is felt underneath the Infraviolet by our heroes. They try to move their heads to see the flame. But to their shock, the flame is underneath the Infrared, as the final thruster was located cleverly on its underside. The flame, is a deep hue of a beautiful pink, and larger than all of the other flames.  
  
The Infrared slowly begins to rumble in an upward motion. Suddenly, the rumbling stops. Confused, the group wonders what is going on (Excluding Tails). But it is only seconds that pass before they get their answer. They have successfully taken off.  
  
"Oh, my, god! Tails, this is SOOOOOOOOOO awesome!" Laki says excitedly.  
  
"I have never seen such a mechanical breakthrough made in such a small thing!" Shadow announces.  
  
"Tails, you really, really, have, TALENT!" Amy shouts.  
  
"This car, or, airplane, is much better than ANY treasure!" Rouge admits, "Well, excluding the emeralds..."  
  
"Hooray! Airplane ride, airplane ride!" And I have no idea why I am so loopy!" Cream says gleefully.  
  
"Tails, I love this car so much..." Sonic states.  
  
"I know, you told me," Tails replies.  
  
"Well, heck, I love the car, AND you!" Sonic shouts.  
  
"Aw, how sweet..." Laki says, "It makes wish I had my father around to tell me that,"  
  
"Uh, thanks Sonic, I guess," Tails shudders.  
  
"Your welcome!" Sonic responds, with an almost, too caring look in his face. This causes Tails to become a little nervous.  
  
"Oh, Sonic, think of the places we could go on a date, or a honeymoon in this!" Amy says.  
  
"Ugh, Amy, please, not now..." Sonic says.  
  
The group continues to chatter about Tail's brilliant machine, the Infraviolet. Everyone is enjoying the wondrous car slash airplane. Laki has temporarily forgotten how serious she must be, for her father is STILL, in grave danger. Will this be her doom in the next chapter? Oh, I hope Laki can come to about the adventure before it snaps back at her! ________________________________________________________________________  
  
Yeehaw! This chapter was a rootin', tootin', salutin', hootenanny for me to write, yo! Gotta love the almost possible sci-fi! Oh yeah, I had a blast with this chapter! And now, as you can see, I am too excited, and must resort to less actiony writing.  
  
Once again, if you have an opinion, or read the story, please review! I accept ALL reviews! You heard me right, or should I say, READ me right? I accept ALL reviews. I do like the signed reviews, but if you have no account at www.fanficiton.net , it is ok. Just please review! Thank you for reading chapter 8. Be sure to read chapter1 through 7 if you haven't already! And don't forget to read chapter 9 once it is written!  
  
Thanks again! ^_^ 


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